Announcing the members of the inaugural Flag Football Editorial Board

By Mary Callender

In December of 1982, the NIRSA Flag & Touch Football Committee met to write an official flag and touch football rulebook that would provide players with a standardized code of rules, interpretations, and officials’ mechanics. NIRSA life member Bruce Maurer—who retired from The Ohio State University in 2011—served as the editor for the first Flag & Touch Football Rule Book, which was published in 1983. The companion Flag & Touch Football Officiating Manual, edited by Jim Potter of Trinity University, was published at the same time. Bruce edited both of these publications, which merged into one in 1987, for the next 33 years.

In an effort to create a succession plan and model the editing process for NIRSA’s Flag & Touch Football Rules Book & Officials’ Manual after the Recreational Sports Journal Editorial Board, the NIRSA Board of Directors approved a proposal to create a Flag Football Editorial Board for the 18^th edition of the rulebook. The establishment of an editorial board creates additional leadership, professional development, and involvement opportunities for NIRSA members.

NIRSA and the flag football community would like to thank Bruce Maurer for his years of dedication to the sport of flag football and to the editing of the rule book. Bruce was twice recognized with the NIRSA Annual Service Award—in 1984 and again in 1996—for his contributions to flag football. The 9^th edition (1999 & 2000) of the NIRSA Flag & Touch Football Rules Book & Officials’ Manual was also dedicated to him.

In April of 2015, the NIRSA Board of Directors appointed Nicole Green-Valentine, Assistant Director at the University of Michigan, as the Chair of the Recruitment for the remaining ten open positions began on May 1.

Forty-seven very qualified candidates applied to serve on the inaugural Flag Football Editorial Board. After a thorough review of applications, the Flag Football Editorial Board Task Force made the following appointments to the inaugural board, which will serve from 2015-2017:

Chair

Nicole Green-Valentine, University of Michigan

Rules Book Editor

Nick Brigati, Ohio University

Officials Manual Editor

Jason Gant, Creighton University

NIRSA Championship Series Flag Football Work Team Chair

Brian Mills, University of Houston

NIRSA Professional Members

Gary Cahen, University of Central Florida
Jeff Feldhaus, Virginia Tech
Jerrod Jackson, Texas A&M University
Kurt Klier, University of Maryland
David Parker, University of North Carolina at Wilmington
Alexandra Prano, UCLA